Having level 30-40 ships in every single ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ instance farming the ♥♥♥♥ out of everything, destroying capital ships in a single pass while people the proper level to be there get absolutely nothing is only fun for the prick farming.

It's absolutely zero fun for a new player who gets to just watch the targets they're attacking get destroyed instantly and then they get absolutely nothing in return for it.

Perhaps you should restrict the players above the cap to using shuttlecraft?

Won't matter if they're using weapons that are level 40. One laser on a shuttle craft at that level can still one-shot a carrier ship at our level.

Then cap the level as done at places like Nimbus III, simple. The shuttlecraft have weapons that level with them, not marked weapons, so if you simulate it as to reduce the level, they wont do nearly as much damage.